Effectively Plan for 2017 (and how not to lose momentum)

I absolutely love this time of year. The time between Christmas and New Years when you just dream of the year ahead. I spend so much time during this week every year just reflecting on the past year and planning for the future.

Are you planning this week? It's such an amazing time of possibility! However, I've seen time and time again people who create goals and within 90, sometimes 30 days, stop making progress. I don't want that for you and I promise you there is another way. 

Last year I set out with a pretty big goal - launch my business, leave my 9 to 5 and make enough money on my own to support my family. It was scary, but it was a dream I couldn't ignore. I followed the exact process I'm laying out for you below to make it all my reality.

I truly believe anything you desire can become your reality. That is why I follow this approach when mapping out my year ahead. I've said time and time again it helps you keep momentum in your life throughout the whole year, but it also allows you to achieve your wildest dreams! If you start with the end goal in site, and don't worry about the how, you get into a place of anything is possible, and with that mindset it truly is.

Here is the exact process I use to map out my year ahead. It totally worked for me in 2016 and I know it will work for you and I this coming year!

Three step process:

1. Write out your goals for the year: Dream big baby! Don't hold back here, the main goal is to just write down every major goal you have for 2017. Don't worry about the how, just imagine yourself this time next year and imagine how different your life is. What were the major accomplishments that led to that moment?

2. Break your goals down quarterly: Take those big goals and break them down into seasons. If your goal is to make $100K in your business then how much do you need to make every quarter? If you want to have 12 clients, how many feels good to take on each quarter? Again we aren't worrying about the how, just breaking it down into smaller, more manageable goals. 

3. Step by step plan: This is my favorite part of the puzzle because this is where my creativity and strategy comes into play. Take your quarterly goals and write out exactly how you plan to get there. Again, we aren't really focusing on the how, although we are definietely implementing a little more strategy at this phase. The main focus is laying out the steps you need to take so you have a clear picture of the action steps needed to reach your desires. If you want to make $100K in your business and that comes out to $25K a quarter, then you know you need to take on 5 clients at $5k, or hold a group program with 50 people at $500 a piece. The strategies and techniques are endless, you just have to come up with the methods used to reach your end goal.

This technique seriously works for anything, it doesn't have to be money related! If you want to create a Facebook community, like my group Authentic Brand Builders, and you want X number of people in the group for Q1, then what strategies are you going to use to get there? If you want X number of people on your email list by Q2, how many people do you need a day and how are you going to get there?

By working backwards you really are setting yourself up for success from the very beginning - not to mention you have a step by step action plan that keeps you on track and keeps your momentum going for the whole year.

2017 is your year! It's the year that you launch your business, make your first $10K, $30K or $100K, it's the year you leave your 9 to 5 or the year you take that two week trip to Europe - it is your year! Don't hold back when it comes to planning your 2017 and for goodness sake don't get caught in the how from the very beginning, just picture and feel into the end result.

I promise you it is ALL possible, I set out with a goal at the beginning of 2016 to launch my business, leave my 9 to 5 and make more than enough money to support my family and life of freedom, and I'm doing just that. 

Make a plan.

Take action.

Live your life of freedom.

P.S. Ready to Get Sh*t Done in 2017? I'm hosting a goal setting challenge in Authentic Brand Builders, kicking off on Monday, January 2. Get all the details and sign up here: http://bit.ly/2017getshitdone